Of Magi and Kender Chapter one
by Kisha Silverstar
Summary: Raist and Tas get stuck in a cave... Together. An avalanche blocked the cave entrance, and worse yet, Tas finds goblins inhabiting the cave as well! Tas finds a mysterious rock, and find that the goblins sound the alarm! Will they make it out in time befo


Of Magi and Kenders

(AN: It's been a looooooooooong time since I've written fanficcies. But recently, a Neverwinter Nights module inspired me to write this story. A tale of humor and drama, goblins, ogres, fights................ Oh, and kender. ;) Kinda like the original Dragonlance novels. Lol. Well, without further introductions, here is chap. 1!)

**Chapter one**

Raistlin Majere looked up from his dark blue spellbook. Tasslehoff Burrfoot was digging in his pouches looking for something. "What are you doing, kender?"

Tas looked up from his pile of items. "Oh, nothing Raist, just looking for a map," Tas continued to look through his pouches. He pulled out a gold ring with runes engraved in blue. "Hey Raist, doesn't this look familiar?"

"Yes, unfortunately," said Raistlin as he snatched it out of the kender's hands. "That's mine. Stay out of my pouches, or I'll turn you into a cricket and eat you... alive."

"Well," Tas looked around in thought. "I'm sure being a cricket would be fun, but I'll have to pass. Sorry Raist. You know, my Uncle Trapspringer was once turned into a cricket by a............................" Tas looked up to the ceiling. "I think it was by a dragon, I'm not too sure."

"Darn luck of mine.............................." Raistlin sighed. "Stuck in a snowed in cave........................... With a kender." Raistlin opened his book and continued to memorize his spells.

The group, Tanis, Caramon, Flint, and Tasslehoff decided to see if the threat of the ice dragons had passed in Ice Wall. They had found the dragons still there, but too stupid and afraid to do anything in the way of conquering since their Queen had been banished back to the Abyss. Raistlin and Tasslehoff had gone to find a cave. Their companions had been right behind them, when the snow above the cave had collapsed, trapping them inside the cave. They had only been trapped there for a little over an hour, but to Raistlin, it already felt like days.

"I'm bored," Tas yawned and stood up. "Maybe this cave has something really neat in it. What do you think, Raist?"

"Just don't do anything stupid, and leave me in peace," Raistlin said in warning to the kender.

"Alright..................." Tas looked around. "Wonder how big this place is?" The kender walked down the hall of the cave. He looked up and down at the jagged walls of the cave. "Hmm... it looks like there's a big room at the end of this hall," he said to himself, listening to the echoes of his voice. He entered the large room. There were chairs, crude, stone chairs, but chairs just the same. There were torches burning, as if something were living here. Tas's ear perked, catching the sounds of bare feet on stone, and muffled voices. Tas ducked behind a chest, watching.

Five goblins came down another corridor; adjacent to the one Tas had just gone through. "Stupid cave. Why did boss have to choose this cave? It already cave in!" Tas strained his ears, knowing a little of goblin.

"Me not know, me just follow, stupidz!" His companion looked around. "Where everyone else?"

"Don't know............... And don't call me stupidz, stupidz!" The two goblins argued with each other for a few more minutes. The other three stared, and started to laugh at the two. The two goblins that were originally started arguing, started to argue with the three that were laughing at them. It turned into such a mess! Tasslehoff had such a hard time trying to give away his hiding place by laughing.

Tas heard another sound. Same sound as when the goblins entered, but the footsteps were heavier, and the clanking of armor against armor could be heard. "Hey, you two, stop arguing!" The voice was gruff. The language was goblin, but it wasn't a goblin by the voice. Tas thought of all the evil creatures he had heard, and finally he came to the conclusion that the voice must belong to an ogre. Sure enough, the owner of the gruff voice came around the corner, and boy, it was the ugliest ogre you had ever had seen. He was about 7 feet tall, and had rusted, old looking armor on. His eyebrows were bushy, and he was bald. His skin was a greenish color, with flecks of brown. His eyes were black, and small. Kind of beady as Tas remembered them.

"Yes, b-big b-boss........................" The first goblin looked around, scared. The second one, the one he was arguing with just looked down. The other three just stared.

"We sit now, and talk about this cave," the ogre leader said. They all sat down in designated chairs, the ogre sitting in the biggest, ugliest one. "I think it's about time we leave and find a new cave. Any objections?" The ogre looked around in that glare that said 'if you dare'.

"Nope."

"Not from me!"

"I goez!"

"Not bad idea, me go."

"I not say no!"

"Ok then, it's settled. We leave in the morning. Now, we talk abouts other things," the ogre said thinking. He was taking a long time to think.

'_Now's my chance," _Tas thought to himself. He crawled along the wall, silently, just as all kenders have the ability to sneak around. He crawled until he could barely hear them, knowing they couldn't hear him. Only elven hearing surpassed the hearing of a kender. He stood up and ran towards the mouth of the cave.

When he got there, Raistlin was still studying his book. The mage was murmuring words in the language of magic, memorizing the spell. The mage took no notice of the kender, he was so intent on memorizing that spell. _'I better wait,'_ Tas thought, knowing that Raist hated to be disturbed.

Raist glanced up at Tas. "So, what did you find?"

"Ummm.................." Tas thought. "Goblins inhabit this cave, with an ogre as their leader. They're leaving the cave in the morning."

"How many?"

"Five that I could tell, and that ogre. Probably more though, since the cave was bigger than I thought..."

"Great," Raistlin mused, "First stuck with a kender. Now goblins and an ogre."

"Don't take it so bad Raist," Tas giggled, "This might be fun."

"Yeah............. I'm sure it will................."

"Are you going to cast a fireball? That's what Fizban used to do. Funny ol' wizard he was," Tas said, recalling the crazed wizard, "I've befriended a god now." Tas puffed up his chest.

"No, I'm not going to cast a fireball," Raistlin said, standing up, adjusting his black robes. He was then overcome with a coughing fit. "Where's that oaf of a brother when I need him to brew my medicine?"

"As I recall, he got lost with the others," Tas said, thinking aloud, "Hmmmm..... Hey! What's this pretty red gem?" Tas pulled a large gem out of his pocket.

"How did you get that?!" Raistlin stared at it with glittering eyes.

"I picked it up a while back, from near the dragon's lair. Why? What is it, something expensive?" Tas turned the gem over and over in his tiny hands.

"It's rare, so yes, it's expensive," Raistlin said, "It's called a Fireruby. We may have use for that............................"

"How will we use it with out the goblins finding out?"

"I don't know, we'll just have to risk it," Raistlin said, devising a plan. "If they're asleep............... They may not notice."

"You don't think they will?"

"Not sure."

Tas looked at the gem. He turned it over in his hands, and then gave it to Raistlin. "How are you going to use it?"

Raistlin picked his book up without a word, and started to flip through the pages. "Found it!" Raistlin walked over to the pile of snow. He started to cough, and then he recovered enough to use the gem. He held up the gem to the snow and chanted the words of magic to activate the gem. "_Odath jah suesa jem kama menath............................... Somath, nesile hotoari!_" The gem glowed a low bright red, then it grew brighter, and the red got darker. Slowly, the snow started to melt with a low sizzling sound that echoed off the walls of the cave.

"Wow Raist!" Tasslehoff stared at the snow. "That's so neat!"

In the farther reaches of the cave, the 3 goblin guards standing outside of the opening of the second room. They heard a strange sizzling sound, and then an excited exclamation they couldn't hear. They looked at each other, and one picked up its horn and blew the invader sound.

At the cave opening, the snow was just finishing melting, when Tas's ears perked, hearing the low call of a horn. "Uh.................. Raistlin, I think we may have company. Someone just sounded a horn!"

"Well then, let's go." Raistlin put the gem up in one of his hidden pouches and walked hurriedly out of the cave.

Tasslehoff ran after him, hoopak out and ready at any moment for an attack. Behind him, shouts were heard and arrows were flying out of the cave. "Raist! We're being pursued!"

"I know," Raistlin said starting to run. "We have to find the others before they get to us."

"But how?" Tas puffed as he ran. "We don't know where they are!"

Raistlin didn't say anything, just started to run faster. There weren't any trails to follow because of the thick snow, and it would be easy for the goblins to follow them. They saw mountains ahead, thick with ice and snow. The last place they had seen their comrades.

(AN: Well, this didn't take long at all to write............. Got it out in about 2 hours. Used to take days. lol. Hmm.... Maybe I will put a pic of my Takhisis's dragon form with I color it in Photoshop. I am the most powerful sorceress of all time! accidentally casts stun on herself. Guess I'll go now. Don't forget, R/R!!! Pwease???)


End file.
